Proximity and temporality: The role of weekly markets in the metropolitan food system of Barcelona

Abstract

This paper analyses the role of weekly markets in the food supply system in metropolitan Barcelona, understanding their form, measures and urban role in relation to market halls and other grocery stores. Quantitative – in relation to the population they serve, the area they occupy, the distances they are from other providers – and qualitative – about what types of food and what variety they offer – approaches are based on drawings made by the authors that try to capture the architectural form and urban insertion of these food suppliers. At a time when proximity has set the agenda of urban interventions; and in which tactical and strategic urban planning are part of ongoing metropolitan transformations, looking at this ephemeral formalization of essential commerce acquires a structural meaning related to urban form. The topic addressed is part of an investigation started in 2018 that relates the urban form of Barcelona with the food supply system. The specific look at the existing weekly markets aims to prove the effectiveness of these pieces as tools to strengthen the metropolitan food system.